Lakewood Ranch resident, SCF student receives Coca-Cola scholarship

Evans Rimel, a Lakewood Ranch resident and student at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF), has been named a 2014 Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Gold Scholar by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation.

Rimel will receive a $1,500 scholarship and a special medallion for being one of 50 students nationwide to be recognized as a Gold Scholar.

Another SCF student, Olga Klippert Blue, of Englewood and a native of Germany, was named a Bronze scholar and will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

“Our SCF students are extremely deserving of recognition for their hard work, leadership and stellar academic performance. Their success in winning these awards is a testament to their own commitment to excellence and to the quality education and support provided by SCF professors and advisers,” said SCF President Dr. Carol F. Probstfeld in a statement.

Only two students from each college can be nominated for the award, and recipients are selected by a panel of judges who consider academic rigor, grade-point average, academic and leadership awards, and engagement in college and community service projects.

In addition, Rimel, Klippert Blue, Palmetto resident Jourdan McKinnis and Corey Culbertson were named to the 2014 All-Florida Academic Team, which recognizes outstanding students for their academic achievement, leadership and service to their community. This year’s All-Florida Academic Team is composed of 109 students who were nominated by their respective colleges to the All-USA Academic Team competition sponsored by USA Today and Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) International Honor Society. Awardees will be recognized with special medallions at an awards ceremony Friday, April 25, in Orlando.

Evans Rimel

Here are Rimel's and McKinnis' bios, courtesy of SCF:

Rimel is the vice president of scholarship for the Nu Zeta chapter of the PTK International Honor Society at SCF Bradenton and president of the SCF Bradenton Student Government Association. As a member of SCF’s Model United Nations Club, Rimel was the first SCF student to earn a perfect score on his position paper at the 2013 Atlanta Southern Regional Model United Nations Conference and is a two-time winner of the Outstanding Delegate Award for his work on the Security Council. He also was the recipient of the 2013 Outstanding Student in Political Science Award, the flag bearer at the SCF Presidential Inauguration and the student speaker at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Academic Building. Rimel serves on SCF’s Student Activities Budget Review and Quality Enhancement Plan committees, and is active in the community as an Eagle Scout and member of the Manatee Young Professionals. After graduating with an Associate in Arts degree in May 2014, he plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in accounting at the University of Florida and later earn a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University.

Jourdan McKinnis

McKinnis is an SCF Collegiate School (SCFCS) student. She was the recording secretary for the Nu Zeta chapter of the PTK International Honor Society at SCF Bradenton and president of the SCF Circle K Club. She also served as the mathematics tutor at the academic resource center, participated in Relay for Life and volunteered as a tennis coach for elementary students at clinics at Terra Ceia Bay Country Club and Tidewater Preserve. After graduating with both an SCFCS high school diploma and an Associate in Arts degree from SCF in May 2014, she plans to attend the University of Central Florida and later earn a medical degree with the goal of becoming a surgeon.